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Benedict Cumberbatch Reads Ian Kelly's Casanova

By:
Ian Kelly

Narrated by:
Benedict Cumberbatch

Length: 1 hr and 7 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
158

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
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Story

4 out of 5 stars
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Benedict Cumberbatch reads Ian Kelly’s biography of one of the most beguiling and controversial individuals of any age. In this fascinating biography of the notorious libertine, Ian Kelly draws on documents by Casanova, his friends, and his lovers (male and female) in order to bring fresh insights to the man’s life and world. The sights and smells of 18th-century Europe are brought keenly to life, as are the colourful incidents of Casanova’s life.

4 out of 5 stars

Benedict's voice does not disappoint!

By
o0katiekins0o
on
02-21-16

The Spire

By:
William Golding

Narrated by:
Benedict Cumberbatch

Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
174

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
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Story

4 out of 5 stars
157

Dean Jocelin has a vision: that God has chosen him to erect a great spire on his cathedral. His mason anxiously advises against it, for the old cathedral was built without foundations. Nevertheless, the spire rises octagon upon octagon, pinnacle by pinnacle, until the stone pillars shriek and the ground beneath it swims. Its shadow falls ever darker on the world below, and on Dean Jocelin in particular.From the author of Lord of the Flies, The Spire is a dark and powerful portrait of one man's will, and the folly that he creates.

4 out of 5 stars

A relentless exploration of vanity

By
Kaui
on
06-27-15

My Dear Bessie: A Love Story in Letters

A BBC Radio 4 Adaptation

By:
Chris Barker,
Bessie Moore

Narrated by:
Benedict Cumberbatch,
Jane Slavin,
Louise Brealey

Length: 44 mins

Original Recording

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
6

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
5

Story

5 out of 5 stars
5

Benedict Cumberbatch and Louise Brealey read a love story in letters, played out against the backdrop of the Second World War.
'Can you feel, as you read these words, that I am thinking of you now; aglow, alive, alert at the thought that you are in the same world, and by some strange chance loving me.' A small blue box opened in 2008 revealed a wartime world of love, longing and frustration. Inside were bundles and bundles of letters written neatly on thin blue airmail paper or headed army notepaper.

Benedict Cumberbatch reads these four new Sherlock Holmes stories by John Taylor: 'An Inscrutable Masquerade', 'The Conundrum of Coach 13', 'The Trinity Vicarage Larceny' and 'The 10.59 Assassin'. Inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories, John Taylor has written four more mysteries featuring the world's greatest detective. Read by acclaimed actor Benedict Cumberbatch, these new adventures share all the suspense of the original tales.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays the young, feisty, devastatingly acute Horace Rumpole in this collection of cracking cases, also starring Timothy West as the older Rumpole.
Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders: It is the '50s, and two war heroes have been shot dead. Defending the suspect is deemed hopeless, so the case is handed to a novice. But the novice's superiors didn't count on the tenacity and wit of the young and hungry Horace Rumpole.

Mansfield Park (Dramatized)

By:
Jane Austen

Narrated by:
David Tennant,
full cast,
Benedict Cumberbatch,
and others

Length: 2 hrs and 18 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
602

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
548

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
545

Felicity Jones, David Tennant and Benedict Cumberbatch star in BBC Radio 4's full-cast dramatisation of the novel by Jane Austen, one of the great English classics. Seeking a position in society, young Fanny Price goes to live with her rich aunt and uncle. But her life there is not as she might wish. Felicity Jones plays Fanny, whilst David Tennant is her cousin Tom and Benedict Cumberbatch his brother Edmund.

5 out of 5 stars

How On Earth?

By
C. Telfair
on
05-02-15

Benedict Cumberbatch Reads Ian Kelly's Casanova

By:
Ian Kelly

Narrated by:
Benedict Cumberbatch

Length: 1 hr and 7 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
158

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
146

Story

4 out of 5 stars
142

Benedict Cumberbatch reads Ian Kelly’s biography of one of the most beguiling and controversial individuals of any age. In this fascinating biography of the notorious libertine, Ian Kelly draws on documents by Casanova, his friends, and his lovers (male and female) in order to bring fresh insights to the man’s life and world. The sights and smells of 18th-century Europe are brought keenly to life, as are the colourful incidents of Casanova’s life.

4 out of 5 stars

Benedict's voice does not disappoint!

By
o0katiekins0o
on
02-21-16

The Spire

By:
William Golding

Narrated by:
Benedict Cumberbatch

Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
174

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
161

Story

4 out of 5 stars
157

Dean Jocelin has a vision: that God has chosen him to erect a great spire on his cathedral. His mason anxiously advises against it, for the old cathedral was built without foundations. Nevertheless, the spire rises octagon upon octagon, pinnacle by pinnacle, until the stone pillars shriek and the ground beneath it swims. Its shadow falls ever darker on the world below, and on Dean Jocelin in particular.From the author of Lord of the Flies, The Spire is a dark and powerful portrait of one man's will, and the folly that he creates.

4 out of 5 stars

A relentless exploration of vanity

By
Kaui
on
06-27-15

My Dear Bessie: A Love Story in Letters

A BBC Radio 4 Adaptation

By:
Chris Barker,
Bessie Moore

Narrated by:
Benedict Cumberbatch,
Jane Slavin,
Louise Brealey

Length: 44 mins

Original Recording

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
6

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
5

Story

5 out of 5 stars
5

Benedict Cumberbatch and Louise Brealey read a love story in letters, played out against the backdrop of the Second World War.
'Can you feel, as you read these words, that I am thinking of you now; aglow, alive, alert at the thought that you are in the same world, and by some strange chance loving me.' A small blue box opened in 2008 revealed a wartime world of love, longing and frustration. Inside were bundles and bundles of letters written neatly on thin blue airmail paper or headed army notepaper.

Benedict Cumberbatch reads these four new Sherlock Holmes stories by John Taylor: 'An Inscrutable Masquerade', 'The Conundrum of Coach 13', 'The Trinity Vicarage Larceny' and 'The 10.59 Assassin'. Inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories, John Taylor has written four more mysteries featuring the world's greatest detective. Read by acclaimed actor Benedict Cumberbatch, these new adventures share all the suspense of the original tales.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays the young, feisty, devastatingly acute Horace Rumpole in this collection of cracking cases, also starring Timothy West as the older Rumpole.
Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders: It is the '50s, and two war heroes have been shot dead. Defending the suspect is deemed hopeless, so the case is handed to a novice. But the novice's superiors didn't count on the tenacity and wit of the young and hungry Horace Rumpole.

Mansfield Park (Dramatized)

By:
Jane Austen

Narrated by:
David Tennant,
full cast,
Benedict Cumberbatch,
and others

Length: 2 hrs and 18 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
602

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
548

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
545

Felicity Jones, David Tennant and Benedict Cumberbatch star in BBC Radio 4's full-cast dramatisation of the novel by Jane Austen, one of the great English classics. Seeking a position in society, young Fanny Price goes to live with her rich aunt and uncle. But her life there is not as she might wish. Felicity Jones plays Fanny, whilst David Tennant is her cousin Tom and Benedict Cumberbatch his brother Edmund.

5 out of 5 stars

How On Earth?

By
C. Telfair
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The Jane Austen BBC Radio Drama Collection

Six BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisations

By:
Jane Austen

Narrated by:
David Tennant,
Benedict Cumberbatch,
Julie McKenzie

Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins

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Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,197

Performance

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1,071

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4.5 out of 5 stars
1,075

A collection of BBC radio full-cast dramatisations of Jane Austen's six major novels. Jane Austen is one of the finest writers in the English language, and this volume includes all six of her classic novels.
Mansfield Park: on a quest to find a position in society, Fanny Price goes to live with her rich aunt and uncle.
Northanger Abbey: young, naïve Catherine Morland receives an invitation to stay at the isolated Gothic mansion Northanger Abbey.

5 out of 5 stars

Great way to listen to Austen's works!

By
Rachel Eaton
on
03-20-16

Dracula

Starring David Suchet and Tom Hiddleston

By:
Bram Stoker

Narrated by:
David Suchet,
Tom Hiddleston

Length: 1 hr and 54 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
113

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
101

Story

4 out of 5 stars
99

Tom Hiddleston (
The Night Manager) stars as Jonathan Harker, with David Suchet (
Poirot) as Dracula in Liz Lochhead's powerful BBC radio adaptation of the classic novel by Bram Stoker. When solicitor Jonathan Harker sets off for Transylvania to sell the mysterious Count Dracula a Gothic mansion, his bride-to-be, Mina, begs him to stay - to no avail. But on arrival at Dracula's castle, deep in a black forest surrounded by wolves, Harker wishes he had listened to his fiancée.

2 out of 5 stars

It's not the most faithful adaption out there...

By
Jessie Q
on
12-02-16

Cabin Pressure

By:
John Finnemore

Narrated by:
Stephanie Cole,
Roger Allam,
Benedict Cumberbatch

Length: 2 hrs and 48 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
1,479

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
1,341

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,333

John Finnemore (Dead Ringers & Mitchell & Webb) has written this brilliant new sitcom starring Stephanie Cole, Roger Allam & Benedict Cumberbatch.
Cabin Pressure is set in a small airline business. The flipside of the glamorous world of international airlines.

4 out of 5 stars

Mad Cap Comedy Silliness By The Experts

By
Sara
on
02-21-15

Cabin Pressure

Zurich: The BBC Radio 4 airline

By:
John Finnemore

Narrated by:
Stephanie Cole,
Full Cast,
Benedict Cumberbatch

Length: 55 mins

Original Recording

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
760

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
680

Story

5 out of 5 stars
677

The complete finale of the hit BBC Radio 4 sitcom- 2 episodes. Cabin Pressure is set in the wing and prayer world of a tiny, one-plane airline, staffed by two pilots, one on his way down, and one who was never up to start with. In this, the finale of the whole series, we discover that for MJN Air, whether it's choosing an ice-cream flavour, putting a princess in a van or remembering your grandmother's name, no job is too small, but, many, many jobs are too difficult.

5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!

By
Rosanne Limoncelli
on
03-02-15

Death in a White Tie

By:
Ngaio Marsh

Narrated by:
Benedict Cumberbatch

Length: 3 hrs and 16 mins

Abridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
182

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
161

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
158

The season had begun. Débutantes and chaperones were planning their luncheons, teas, dinners, balls. And the blackmailer was planning his strategies, stalking his next victim. But Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn knew that something was up. He had already planted his friend Lord Robert Gospell at the scene. But someone else got there first...

3 out of 5 stars

Abridgment, Narration Highlight Weaknesses

By
Patricia McBride
on
01-09-13

Benedict Cumberbatch Reads Thrilling Stories of the Railway

By:
Victor Whitechurch

Narrated by:
Benedict Cumberbatch

Length: 1 hr and 9 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
103

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
95

Story

4 out of 5 stars
95

Benedict Cumberbatch reads five stories featuring the famous vegetarian railway detective, Thorpe Hazell, as heard on BBC Radio 4. In "The Affair of the German Dispatch-Box", Hazell hatches a daring plan to retrieve a highly sensitive government document before it reaches the German Ambassador. In "Sir Gilbert Murrell's Picture", when an entire wagon containing valuable paintings disappears from a goods train, Hazell's skill is needed. Plus three more adventures!

4 out of 5 stars

the goofiest thing i've ever LOVED!

By
Lauren Bergold
on
05-25-16

Scales of Justice

By:
Ngaio Marsh

Narrated by:
Benedict Cumberbatch

Length: 3 hrs and 21 mins

Abridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
150

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
135

Story

4 out of 5 stars
132

The lives of the inhabitants of Swevenings are disrupted only by a fierce competition to catch the Old Un, a monster trout known to dwell in a beautiful stream which winds past their homes. Then one of their small community is found brutally murdered; beside him is the freshly killed trout. Both died by violence - but Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn's murder investigation seems to be much more interested in the fish.

5 out of 5 stars

Cumberbatch is a great narrator!

By
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on
08-01-12

Cabin Pressure: Molokai (Christmas Special 2010)

By:
John Finnemore

Narrated by:
Stephanie Cole,
Benedict Cumberbatch

Length: 27 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
696

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
645

Story

5 out of 5 stars
643

In this Christmas special 'Molokai' - It's Christmas morning, but when Carolyn schedules an extra stop-off to the Hawaiian island of Molokai, Arthur has just seven minutes to celebrate Christmas. Stephanie Cole, Benedict Cumberbatch & Roger Allam star in the second series of the hit sitcom about the tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult.

5 out of 5 stars

I can't believe I missed this Cabin Pressure.

By
Shopper Mom
on
04-15-15

A Man Lay Dead

By:
Ngaio Marsh

Narrated by:
Philip Franks

Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
201

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
181

Story

4 out of 5 stars
184

Wealthy Sir Hubert Handesley's original and lively weekend house parties are deservedly famous. To amuse his guests, he has devised a new form of the fashionable Murder Game, in which a guest is secretly selected to commit a 'murder' in the dark, and everyone assembles to solve the crime. But when the lights go up this time, there is a real corpse....

5 out of 5 stars

Classic Upper Crust Mystery

By
Laurence G. Byrne
on
02-25-16

High-Rise

By:
J.G. Ballard

Narrated by:
Tom Hiddleston

Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
882

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
826

Story

3.5 out of 5 stars
823

When a class war erupts inside a luxurious apartment block, modern elevators become violent battlegrounds, and cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on "enemy" floors. In this visionary tale, human society slips into violent reverse as once-peaceful residents, driven by primal urges, re-create a world ruled by the laws of the jungle.

5 out of 5 stars

TOM HIDDLESTON NEEDS TO READ EVERYTHING

By
Jeanette
on
04-05-15

Metamorphosis

A BBC Radio 4 Reading

By:
Franz Kafka

Narrated by:
Benedict Cumberbatch

Length: 1 hr and 38 mins

Abridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
48

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
43

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
41

Benedict Cumberbatch reads the enduring classic of Franz Kafka's
Metamorphosis. Gregor Samsa wakes to discover that he has turned into a large, monstrous insect-like creature. He attempts to adjust to his new condition as he deals with being burdensome to his parents and sister, who are repelled by the horrible creature he has become. First published in 1915, Kafka's darkly comic novella explores concepts such as the absurdity of life, alienation and the disconnect between mind and body.

4 out of 5 stars

Very Sad

By
ilene
on
02-05-18

Sherlock Holmes: Valley of Fear

By:
Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrated by:
Ian McKellan

Length: 2 hrs and 15 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
100

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
90

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
89

Ian McKellen was the winner of the BBC Audio Drama Award 2015 for Best Actor in an Audio Drama (for Eugenie Grandet). Sir Ian McKellen reads
The Valley of Fear, the last of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's four Sherlock Holmes novels. The mystery begins with a coded warning of imminent danger, drawing the illustrious Sherlock Holmes and the faithful Dr. Watson to a secluded English country home.

5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

By
Hannah Bryant
on
12-15-16

Publisher's Summary

The first part of the Memoirs of Giacomo Casanova, a special film tie-in version. The film, starring Heath Ledger as Casanova with Jeremy Irons and Sienna Miller, will be released in UK February 2006.

Abridged?! No!

I broke my rule and bought an abridged book, because Benedict Cumberbatch was the narrator... and now I need to go and find the rest of this book... I wonder if Benedict Cumberbatch would narrate them...?

Just buy this book, enjoy the experience of Casanova's words and experiences read by Benedict Cumberbatch... "sigh"

Abridged, ending on a cliffhanger

I compromised my usual position on abridged volumes because of the reader -- only to find once it ended that I wanted to read the complete memoirs. I've made it up to 1744, with 53 years and thousands of pages to go, and it's all fascinating. Wish Benedict Cumberbatch could have read the whole thing, but he has other gigs.

Not my cup of tea

Admittedly, I was mostly drawn to this book because it was narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, and the fact that the name is so commonly used as a characterization. However, I just became really annoyed with Giacomo. The writing itself was fine, but I just despised him thoroughly by the end, lost all sympathy for anything he went through, and have completely regretted spending a credit for it. I'm just not the audience for this one.

Interesting... Not wanting it to stop.

I found this book written in a sought of conversation format. Format without chapters or sections. It was as if you were sitting face to face with Casanova while he while telling you how his "wildest" exhibitions begin. Very interesting. I look forward to reading and studying more on this great seductionist...

Ben can read to me all day...

Benedict Cumberbatch narrates and is wonderful! He should read everything. I don't think I need to say anything more about that.

As for the story: Casanova's memoirs are fascinating. Whether he actually did all the things he said he did is pretty irrelevant. His memoirs are a great window into 18th century society. For history buffs this is a must read. Also, it is nowhere near as explicit as people seem to think.

Love the voice, not the story

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, I didn't even finish because I didn't care for the story.

What could Giacomo Casanova have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I have no idea. It was just not a story I enjoyed

Which character – as performed by Benedict Cumberbatch – was your favorite?

His voice is like warm honey so anything character is amazing.

Was Casanova worth the listening time?

No

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Sort by:

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Rebecca

10-30-12

Who better to read this!

This collaboration between story and narrator is perfect. Benedict Cumberbatch makes this wonderful figure seem almost believable and likeable! A fun download.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Overall

2 out of 5 stars

Performance

3 out of 5 stars

Story

2 out of 5 stars

Redwing

02-25-14

Bored me very quickly!

Even though the lovely Benedict Cumberbatch is narrating this, the story is so repetitive and boring..I get it, Cassanova had lots of sex. Not man, woman or beast was safe near him! Even Mr Cumberbatch's narration could not make me stay with this story until the end. Avoid

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Brenda

07-05-13

Soft, Rich and Sensual

Would you consider the audio edition of Casanova to be better than the print version?

Yes

What does Benedict Cumberbatch bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He reads it with a soft, deep, sensual voice and with such passion. An amazing performance

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

3 out of 5 stars

Fiona

11-25-17

Bowled over by Casanova?

Of course we've all heard of Casanova, the legendary lover, but never having read any I didn't actually know much more than the name. So - this was a voyage of discovery for me. I strongly suspect that if I'd read it, I wouldn't have finished the book - there's nothing wrong with the story, it just didn't massively grip me. I suppose I found it to be a fairly ordinary story of a young man's love, but livened up no end by his many many stories of the various love affairs he has along the way.The narration, however, adds a whole extra depth to it - and I had no idea that Benedict Cumberbatch's voice could be such concentrated filth! That's definitely what added the fun to it for me, and kept me going through it all. So - an enjoyable listen, but I probably won't be seeking out any more like this.

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Craig Dallender

09-15-17

Too much missing

I know it is an abridged version, butbit ends very abruptly and aged only 23!